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Is Social Media Making Us Antisocial? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Did you know that 24 percent of people surveyed in a recent poll said that they had missed witnessing important moments because they were too busy trying to write about them on their favourite social network… while they were taking place?

Ah, the irony. Of course, I’ve addressed this before: the more that you’re on Twitter talking about what you’re doing, then the less that you’re actually doing it.

Social media is amazing. It connects the world and empowers us all to make better decisions about our lives. 83 percent of shy and lonely survey respondents reported that platforms like Twitter and Facebook helped them make new friends, and 25 percent said that these channels had boosted their confidence.

But if you take things too far it can come at a cost. The same rules apply: much like absinthe and KFC double downs, sure, go ahead and enjoy yourself, but it’s important to keep everything in moderation.

When you look at the numbers they’re actually pretty frightening. Almost two in five people spend more time socialising online than they do face-to-face. Americans spend 441 minutes each and every month using Facebook on their mobile phones. This, of course, means they’re Facebooking when they should probably be focusing on something else (you know, like driving, or the birth of their child).

As the great Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

This infographic from Schools.com takes a closer look at the ramifications of too much social media.